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  • Alternative Character Interpretation:
    • Hiccup's mom Valka: Kind-hearted individual who felt that dragons were peaceful, and wished to help them? Or a careless person who simply abandoned her family, ignoring how they were probably mourning her so she could play Jane Goodall to the dragons? Or simply too dumb to consider ways that she could go back home once in a while?
    • Very few are in denial that Drago is a total asshole. However, when he became one is an issue of contention. Some believe that had his early life been more normal (and his family and village weren't destroyed), he'd have grown up to be a decent person. Others believe that he was just born bad and that the backstory is merely a cover.
    • Hiccup himself has been subject to this. Was his optimism about being able to change Drago admirable but misguided, or was he simply being too stubborn and arrogant to acknowledge the facts of the situation? This might be Fridge Brilliance in that Hiccup had previously put an end to the war between humans and dragons by teaching the former to befriend the latter, and because of this believed the hostility from his father and village towards Drago built on the same issue and could be similarly solved; using negotiation and understanding instead of hatred and fighting.
  • Alternative Joke Interpretation: Gobber's comment "This is why I never married. This and one other reason," can be taken as Gobber admitting he's gay, or that he's impotent. Voice actor Craig Ferguson meant it as the former, but the way it's presented makes it open to interpretation.
  • Angst? What Angst?:
    • Both Hiccup and Stoick react to the fact that Valka had let them think she was dead for 20 years and abandoning her family remarkably well. While Valka is clearly walking on eggshells around Hiccup, she practically begs Stoick to be angry with her, only for her estranged husband to express that he's just glad to see her alive.
    • Stoick's dragon Skullcrusher does not seem to be too bothered by the fact that his rider is now dead and quickly bonds with Eret by the end of the movie. Since dragons in this series are shown to develop strong relationships with their riders after bonding with them, it comes across as a little jarring for Skullcrusher to move on so quickly.
  • Award Snub: Was not nominated for the Best Animated Feature BAFTA, and lost the Best Animated Feature Academy Award to Big Hero 6.
  • Base-Breaking Character:
    • Valka. Some fans love her for being a badass Action Mom, others can't overlook the fact that she abandoned her son and husband.
    • Drago Bludvist. Some see him as a boring, one-note villain while others think he's an intimidating threat who serves as an excellent contrast and foil towards Hiccup.
  • Complete Monster: See here.
  • Contested Sequel: Fans and critics can't seem to agree whether this film or the first is superior. On one hand, those who prefer the first film argue that it has more charm and reliance on Show, Don't Tell moments, while supporters of this film prefer it for being Darker and Edgier, having a more mature and realistic story with more action sequences. A third group values the films equally for their different strengths.
  • Estrogen Brigade: While Hiccup certainly had his fans in the first movie, the number of Hiccup fangirls skyrocketed seeing a now matured Hiccup.
  • Even Better Sequel: No character backsliding, an Actionized Sequel, and taking the characters in new directions. Several reviewers said that it was a great sequel building on what the first movie gave them. Though see above for Contested Sequel.
  • Evil Is Cool: Many enjoyed Drago Bludvist as a brutal, vicious antagonist who, in contrast to Hiccup, controls dragons through sheer force and intimidation. He wears a black cloak of dragon skin that appears to have come from a Night Fury, and his introductory scene sees him walk unflinchingly through a blast of dragon fire, completely unscathed! He proves himself a real threat by killing both the good Alpha and Stoick.
  • Fan Nickname: One of the background dragon species (the bulky ones with the frills and the two massive tusks on their lower jaws) are nicknamed Firefangs by fans due to the fact they are one of the few new dragon species in the movie not to be officially named.
  • Fandom-Specific Plot: People like to speculate the idea of Cloudjumper taking both Valka and baby Hiccup that fated night. Others like to think of what would have happened if he had taken Hiccup and not Valka.
  • Harsher in Hindsight:
    • Every scene with Stoick and Valka, being that they only get to see each other again for about a couple hours at most.
      Stoick: I thought I'd have to die before we'd have that dance again.
      Valka: No need for drastic measures.
    • From a meta-standpoint, there is also some harshness to the short time between their reunion and Stoick's death. The film establishes that Hiccup was less than a year old when Valka disappeared, meaning that Stoick found Valka about twenty years after losing her. In the film's runtime, Stoick's death scene occurs about twenty minutes after this scene, and Valka loses Stoick forever.
    • When did the film come out in the United States? Father's Day weekend.
    • Remember in the first film when Toothless tackled and was about to blast Stoick, only to be stopped by Hiccup? Yeah...
    • A subtle one, but when a mind-controlled Toothless is menacingly walking towards a confused and scared Hiccup, the music in the background is a remake of the one played during their first meeting. This time however, Toothless doesn't back out from his blast...
    • Hiccup having taught his dad against all odds that dragons are kind creatures in the first movie, only for Stoick to end up killed by a dragon after all. And not just any dragon, but Toothless.
    • Also, Gobber's statement to Stoick when he's suggesting enlisting Hiccup in dragon training "You're not always going to be there to protect him" comes off much harsher in light of what happens to Stoick.
    • Stoick's boast to Drago of, "It takes more than a little fire to kill me!" Um, about that...
    • Race to the Edge later revealed that Hiccup has been warned before about his Wide-Eyed Idealist beliefs. The events that transpire because he refused to accept that talking with Drago just wouldn't work prove his former Arch-Enemy was 100% correct.
      Viggo: You are too good, too pure, too innocent, which will get you or someone you love killed.
    • Also, author Cressida Cowell said that Hiccup's relationship with Stoick was based off hers with her father, Michael John Hare, 2nd Viscount of Blakenham. Stoick's death in 2014 becomes even harsher with the Viscount's death in January 2018 since he was the inspiration.
  • He Really Can Act:
    • Jay Baruchel's emotional scenes in this film really hit hard, particularly during Stoick's funeral.
    • Fans of Game of Thrones initially called Kit Harrington an emotionless performer (though they warmed up to him after a long while). Here, he's displaying a wide range from the get-go, particularly after Eret has his life saved by Stormfly and he realises that he's been trapping sentient, thinking creatures.
  • Heartwarming in Hindsight: The distinct design of Hiccup's flaming sword, with it's retractable blade and compartment of Zippleback gas, takes on new meaning after Race To The Edge, which revealed that Hiccup got the idea from an enemy-turned-ally who gave his life to save him. Hiccup's shock at this villain's genuine redemption likely also contributed to his insistence on reasoning with Drago in this film.
  • Hilarious in Hindsight: Kit Harington's role in this movie is rather amusing considering a rather well known and ultimately confirmed fan theory that his character in Game of Thrones is actually related by blood to THAT setting's dragon riders.
  • It Was His Sled: Stoick dies.
  • Jerkass Woobie: Eret may be a dragon trapper, but he didn't deserve to be so casually sentenced to death by his master for something out of his control. He eventually gets better and ends up with a case of Earn Your Happy Ending.
  • Memetic Mutation:
    • “You’re as beautiful as the day I lost you.”note 
    • “The alpha! Now we have a real fight!” note 
  • Moral Event Horizon: At the very least, Drago is shown to have crossed it long ago by having his enslaved dragons kill all the chiefs who refused to bow to him, leaving Stoick the sole survivor. Though he's silhouetted, this is the first time we see Drago in the film.
  • Narm:
    • Valka's line: "Good dragons under the control of bad people do bad things." is seen as either a Tear Jerker or uttered so dramatically it comes off as silly.
    • Some people have noted that the choir singing towards the end of "Battle of the Bewilderbeast" sound like they're singing "Riiicolaaa".
    • Drago's way of controlling dragons, which seems to consist of "Screaming insanely while waving a stick in the air." Yes, he had help from the Bewilderbeast, but it comes across as more than a little silly.
      • Becomes doubly silly if you've read the original books, because, until Hiccup came along, the viking's dragon training guide consisted of one rule: Yell at it. (The louder the better.)
      • Regardless, Drago's screams sound nearly identical to Captain Kirk's cry of "KHAAAAAAN!"
    • The villain of a dragon film being named Drago can fall into this. How... inventive? Not helped that his name is literally "Blood Fist." The name of "Drago Bludvist" can come across as either intimidating, or fall into "You're trying too hard." His dour name is even Lampshaded early on in the movie:
      Hiccup: They are building a dragon army. Or-or at least the guy they work for is. Ah, "Dargo Bloody Fist" or something.
      Tuffnut: I'll bloody his fist with my face if he tries to take my dragon!
    • Drago's Bewilderbeast literally makes a Godzilla roar at one point during the final fight against Toothless which sounds utterly out of place compared to his other roars.
  • Narm Charm: The obvious Godzilla parallels between Drago's Bewilderbeast and Toothless' glowing form in the final battle may be a bit goofy, but it's undeniably awesome to see Toothless of all dragons channel a Godzilla impression against the titanic Bewilderbeast... and win!
  • Nightmare Retardant: Some viewers find a lot about Drago to be narmy either thanks to his voice (which sounds like Animal from The Muppet Show) and/or his screaming and flailing when commanding the dragons. Also, the sight of him riding Toothless is considered either a heartbreaking sight, seeing the little dragon being dominated and ridden by such a huge man, or hilarious looking because the two nearly equal each other in size.
    • Drago's Bewilderbeast is a terrifying creature to behold, but some close-ups of his face make him look amusingly like a giant frog.
  • The Problem with Licensed Games: Okay developers, you want to make a game about a young man and his flying dragon in a Viking village where dragons and viking are living together. So, are you going to make a cool flight simulator with dragons, or an action game, or even a Panzer Dragoon-esque rail shooter? No? So, what are you guys making? Why, a game about flying through rings of course.
  • They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character:
    • As this review points out, Valka starts off as a well-developed character who, unfortunately, has her own personal character arc pushed to the background in the third in favor of Hiccup's own. This may or may not have been the result of major script changes that had Valka as the primary antagonist, originally. A rebuttal editorial argues that the movie does in fact revolve around her actions, in the sense that none of the characters would be where they are if it weren't for her.
    • Many fans of the franchise were disappointed that Astrid got almost Demoted to Extra, especially considering her expanded role in the TV show. Though pretty much everyone who wasn't part of Hiccup's family got this treatment as well; those who follow the series know how those characters are rich in story possibilities and comedic potential weren't all that happy at their treatment as well.
    • Drago could have been more fleshed out. His backstory of having his town, family, and arm destroyed in a dragon attack when he was a boy and then growing obsessed with both a need for revenge and eventually a hunger for power is a fairly interesting one, but it only gets a brief scene so that we can know why he can't be reasoned with. The creators themselves stated in an interview that Drago's character is actually a lot more complex than he is portrayed and that he will be fleshed out more in the following film, but this ended up being scrapped, as Drago was absent in The Hidden World.
    • The good Alpha had little screen time; it therefore had few opportunities to display its personality before it was killed in battle. There certainly was plenty of potential to explore his relationship with Valka and how he accepted her as a member of his sanctuary.
  • Visual Effects of Awesome: Dreamworks created its own software to be able to animate large crowds and microexpressions. Hundreds of people and dragons blend together in seamlessly animated crowds. The scenery is also a huge upgrade from the original with its emphasis on scale.
  • The Woobie:
    • Gruff, one of the dragons rescued by Valka. Blinded by trappers, he's nonetheless a sweet and perfectly friendly dragon. We only see him briefly but it's hard not to feel something for him.
    • For that matter, all the dragons that were injured by trappers.
    • Valka's Bewilderbeast, who was a gentle, kind ruler of the Dragon Sanctuary, who protects his subjects from trappers, catches fish to feed them, and ultimately dies in defense of his kingdom against Drago's Bewilderbeast.
    • Hiccup and Toothless themselves after Drago mind-controls Toothless into killing Stoick and rips the formerly inseparable pair apart. Although they reunite, Hiccup still ends up fatherless and Toothless has to live with the guilt of what he did. And this is on top of their traumas from the first film.

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